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HAYS, Kan. – The Northeastern State men's basketball team will head to Hays, Kansas, for a matchup with Fort Hays State University. The RiverHawks (3-12, 1-7 MIAA) and Tigers (10-6, 4-4 MIAA) are set to tip at 4 p.m. Jan. 17 inside Gross Memorial Coliseum.

NSU and FHSU have met three times in NSU's NCAA era (since 1996). The RiverHawks are 2-1 in those matchups, including a home win on Jan. 3, 2013 (76-61) and a road victory on Feb. 28, 2014 (75-72). The lone Tiger triumph was on Jan. 18, 2014 in Tahlequah (79-65). Northeastern State was picked 12th in the preseason MIAA coaches' poll, while FHSU was slated second.
 

Northeastern State's Probable Starters
F	10	C.J. Winzer	6-5, 195	Fr-HS	4.5 ppg, 3.3 rpg	Elmo, Texas
F	32	Dakota Caudill	6-6, 220	Jr-RS	7.7 ppg, 4.2 rpg	Claremore, Okla.
G	5	Keon Littleton	6-1, 185	Sr-1L	9.8 ppg, 5.7 rpg	DeSoto, Texas
G	20	Trey Mohair	6-0, 190	Jr-TR	8.7 ppg, 2.5 rpg	Denton, Texas
G	25	Demone Harrison	6-3, 185	Jr-TR	12.4 ppg, 3.6 rpg	Houston, Texas
Fort Hays State's Probable Starters
F	15	Jeremy Wilson	6-6, 205	Jr.	7.1 ppg, 4.3 rpg	Wichita, Kan.
F	21	Jake Stoppel	6-5, 210	Jr.	7.4 ppg, 5.8 rpg	Wilson, Kan.
G	1	Royce Williams	6-5, 210	Sr.	9.7 ppg, 4.1 rpg	Los Angeles, Calif.
G	2	James Fleming	6-1, 175	Sr.	7.5 ppg, 2.5 rpg	Hanover Park, Ill.
G	5	Tomislav Gabric	6-6, 185	Sr.	4.3 ppg, 2.7 rpg	Dubrovnik, Croatia

 
SCOUTING THE TIGERS
Fort Hays State University is located in Hays, Kansas, and the team competes in the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association. The Tigers own a 10-6 mark this campaign and are 4-4 in the MIAA. FHSU is also 8-2 at home and owns league victories over Missouri Western State (90-78), Missouri Southern State (80-70), Lincoln (62-45) and Central Oklahoma (82-72). All-American Craig Nicholson leads Fort Hays State in scoring and assists (14.9 ppg, 6.1 apg), but he suffered an injury Jan. 15 against UCO. Dom Samac is the only other Tiger averaging double digits, and he is also second in rebounding (10.0 ppg, 5.1 rpg). Jake Stoppel is the leading rebounder on the squad (7.4 ppg, 5.8 rpg).
 
THE LAST TIME OUT - UNK 83, NSU 59
The RiverHawks fell 83-59 at Nebraska-Kearney Thursday evening inside the Health & Sports Center. NSU was led in scoring by Dakota Caudill, who tied his career high with 17 points. Demone Harrison added 14 points and Trey Mohair chipped in 12. Due to recent injuries, the RiverHawks had six players play at least 30 minutes. The team shot 38.9 percent (21-for-54) from the field, 44.4 percent (4-for-9) from behind the 3-point line and 72.2 percent (13-for-18) at the charity stripe. UNK shot 62 percent (31-for-50) overall, 54.2 percent (13-for-24) from deep and 61.5 percent (8-for-13) at the line. Connor Beranek led all scorers with 32 points. He was 8 of 12 from downtown. Trey Lansman and Ethan Brozek both added 12 points, and 12 different Lopers scored at least two points in the contest.
 
THE LAST TIME THEY MET - NSU 75, FHSU 72
Northeastern State upset Fort Hays State 75-72 on Feb. 28, 2014 inside Gross Memorial Coliseum. The RiverHawks spoiled Senior Night for six Tigers, kept hopes of a home playoff game alive and also guaranteed a winning final season for retiring coach Larry Gipson. The loss for FHSU was the first at home since Dec. 21, 2014 and just the second all season (12-2). In the victory over the Tigers, Bryton Hobbs clinched the MIAA regular-season scoring title with a 30-point effort. He was 9-of-15 from the field and 10-of-10 at the free-throw line. He also added seven rebounds and seven assists. Landon DeMasters was the only other member of the team in double figures, as he finished with 15 points. NSU shot 55 percent (22-for-40) from the field, 52.9 percent (9-for-17) from downtown and 84.6 percent (22-for-26) at the free-throw line. The RiverHawks posted their best shooting percentage since Jan. 9 and their best percentage from beyond the arc since Dec. 19. Fort Hays State shot 49.2 percent (29-for-59) from the field, 53.3 percent (8-for-15) from distance and 42.9 percent (6-for-14) at the charity stripe. Seniors Dwayne Brunson (22 points) and Carson Konrade (18 points) combined for 40 points in a losing effort on their Senior Night. Craig Nicholson added 13 points for the home side.
 
BREAKING AN ALL-TIME MARK
After losing five straight, the RiverHawks busted their losing streak on the strength of an 86-65 blowout win over Lindenwood at Dec. 6 inside the NSU Event Center. Northeastern State made 14 of 16 3-point attempts, and the 87.5 shooting percentage from downtown broke a school record that had stood since Feb. 21, 1998. Michael Harmon scored 30 points for the second time in three games. He made 6-for-7 from behind the arc. Demone Harrison was 4-for-4 from distance, Landon DeMasters was 2-for-2, Trey Mohair was 1-for-2 and Keon Littleton was 1-for-1. NSU took a 54-40 lead into halftime and cruised to the 21-point victory, which was the highest margin of victory against a league opponent since defeating Cameron University 84-62 in Lone Star Conference action on Feb. 28, 2004.
 
MIAA CHAMPIONSHIP IN KC
The 2015 MIAA Men's Basketball Championship is set to take place inside Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City, Missouri. The top 12 teams in the regular season all qualify for postseason play, with the top four earning byes to Kansas City. The first round will be contested at host sites March 2, with the fifth seed hosting No. 12, the sixth seed hosting No. 11, etc. Those four winners will join the top four seeds in KC March 5-8. Both NSU basketball programs have advanced to the MIAA Championship Quarterfinals in Kansas City in each of their first two years in the league.
 
GO RIVERHAWKS GEAR
Northeastern State University Athletics has partnered with Advanced-Online for the past two years with a one-of-a-kind online shopping site, goriverhawksgear.com. NSU fans have another avenue for acquiring Northeastern State apparel and accessories. The store is loaded with options for fans of all ages, ranging from T-shirts, polos and sweatshirts, to home office supplies, drinkware and kitchen essentials. Every item is branded with official Northeastern State athletics and university logos, and select RiverHawks gear and accessories are customizable. The new online store can be accessed by simply visiting www.goriverhawksgear.com. The shop can also be viewed by clicking on the shopping cart at the top right of www.goriverhawksgo.com, the static graphic underneath the main picture or the rotating horizontal carousel just above the video player.